Venetian blind



Jan. 3o, 1951 w. A. MORSE 2,539,697

VENETIAN BLIND Filed Aug. 8, 1944 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 at? J n .k

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VENETIAN BLIND Filed Aug. 8, 1944 2 -Sheer,s-Shee'c 2 INVENToR. Mz//M//@if- B Y o Patentedl Jan. 30, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND William A. Morse, Santa Monica., Calif.

Application August' 8, 1944, Serial N0. 548,544

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in Venetian blinds.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Venetian blind comprising a header or the equivalent support on which is. removably mounted a tilt rail from which the blind structure consisting of slats. and tapes is suspended, and to provide a construction whereby the cords used to. raise and lower the blind are associated with the tilt railv so as to be removable therewith.

The conventional Venetian blind has a header or equivalent support with a tilt rail mounted thereon so as to be capable of tilting relatively thereto to. effect an opening andl closing of the blind slats. In such conventional constructions the cords used to raise and lower the slats are mounted on the header and extend therefrom down through the tilt rail and through the slats between tapes. lli/Then the cords are thus associated with the header the blind must be largely dismantled in order to remove it from a window for cleaning purposes or repair. By having the cordsthat are used to raise and lower the blind associated with the removable tilt rail instead of the header the blind can be easily removed as a complete unit whenever it is desired to clean it. In. this manner the tilt rail can be removed from the header, theslats and tapes removed herewith, and the cords will be removed with the tilt rail without. dismantling the 'blind structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved Venetian blind having a removable tilt rail with which is associated the slats and tapes and elevating cords and which is so designed that the elevating cords and cords that tilt the tilt rail are reversible as to position so that a given blind construction may be employed optionally to have the elevating cords either at the right-hand side or at the left-hand side of the blind or the tilting cords may be positioned at either the right-hand side or the left-hand side thereof independently of the position of the elevating cords.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Venetian blind having a tilt rail equipped with a novel intermediate or central support so that inthe event that the blind is quite long the tilt rail will be supported intermediate its ends against sagging in such a. manner that there will be no interference with the normal tilting functions of the tilt rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide some novel hardware structures for use as part of Venetian blinds rendering installations of a given Venetian blind quite versatile.

ISU-168.)

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically painted out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure l is a partial view in front` elevation of a Venetian blind embodying one formy of the present invention, parts being broken away and shown in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken substantially upon the line 2 2 upon Fig. l in the direction indicated;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantial-ly upon the line 3 3 upon Fig. 1 in the direction indicated Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially upon the line 4 4 upon Fig. l in the direction indicated;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken. upon the line. 5 5 upon Fig. l in the directionl indicated;

Fig. 6 is a partial view in vertical. section taken. substantially upon the line6 6 upon Fig. l in the direction indicated;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the line E l upon Fig. l in the direction indicated;

Fig. 8 is a partial view in front elevation, parts'.

being broken away and shown in vertical section of a slightly modied., form of construction embodying the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the line 9 9 upon Fig. 8 in the direction indicated; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the line lll l0 upon Fig. 8 in thev direction indicated.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designatel similar parts throughout, and particularly to that form of construction illustrated in Figs. l to 7, inclusive, the improved Venetian blind comprises a suitable header Il) which may be secured in any suitable or preferred manner to the top of a window opening. On this header there are secured two brackets', generally indicated at ii and l2. between which is removably supported a tilt rail I3. As iilustrated, bracket Il provides the tilting mechanism for tilting the tilt rail there being a suitable pulley ld adapted to be rotatedk by a cord Illa, the pulley being mountedon a spindle carrying a worm which meshes with a worm wheel that is socketed to receive a polygonally shaped portion of a trunnion l5 that isintegral. with a cap |16 that is telescopically mounted'v over one end of the tilt rail. The other end of the tilt rail is equipped with a similar cap I'I, the trunnion I8 of which is receivable in acrotch or recess I9 on the forwardv side of bracket I2. This trunnion is cylindrical in form and is maintained `in the crotch by a spring-actuated keeper 20. By pulling the tilt rail I3 forwardly trunnion l I8 will depress the keeper 2li against the action of its spring and may be slipped out of the mouth of the crotch after which trunnion I may be slipped longitudinally out of the socket in the worm wheel of the tilting mechanism. In this manner, the tilt rail can be readily removed from brackets II and I2 to remove the blind structure associated therewith from the window leaving the header it and the brackets II and I2 in undisturbed installed positions.

The body 0f the tilt rail I3 is preferably formed of wood but may be formed of other materials and is of generally semi-cylindrical shape. Tapes 2| extend over the tilt rail and are suspended therefrom. These tapes serve to support the slats 22 on connecting strips 23 in such a manner that when the tilt rail is tilted the slats will also be tilted accordingly in the conventional manner.

The cords for raising and lowering the blind are indicated at 2d and 25. These cords are trained up through a cord stop 25 mounted on the underside of the tilt rail. The cord stop has one or more pivoted dogs 27 therein pivoted as at 28 arranged to clamp or grip the cords to hold the blind suspended in elevated position when y the blind is raised. 'The cord stop 23 has trunnions at its ends indicated at 29 and 33, see Figs. 4 and 6, which serve to tiltably support it. These trunnions are somewhat key-shaped in cross section, trunnion 30 being disposed in a lower portion of cap il and trunnion 23 being disposed in a bracket 3i mounted on the tilt rail in spaced relation thereto. The cap I and bracket 3i have slots 32 and 33 formed therein which have enlarged ends. The narrow neck portion connecting the large ends is capable of having the boss or projection on the Alower portion of each trunnion pass therethrough on tilting the cord stop 2G. Thus the cords stop may assume a forward position wherein it occupies the foremost enlargedends of the slots 32 and 33 as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, and'it may be positioned with its trunnions in the rearmost enlarged ends as indicated in dotted lines on Fig. 6, if the blind structure is reversed to have the cords 24 and 25 positioned at the left-handend of the blind instead of at the right-hand end of the blind as shown on Fig. l; The cords 25 and 25 lead from the cord stop beneath the tilt rail to pulleys 34 and 35 mounted on the underside of the tilt rail and then extend downwardly to the slat through the lowermost slat or bottom rail.

Intermediate the ends of the tilt rail there is provided a semi-circular wire support 36 that is secured at its ends to the tilt rail so that the semi-circular portion of the support is concentric with but in spaced relation to the top of the tilt rail. This wire support is slidable on a hook 3l secured to the underside of the header I3. This center support may be used where the blind and tilt rail are quite long so as to resist sagging of the tilt rail.

From the above-described construction it will be appreciated that whenever it is desired to remove the blind from a window that the header lll and brackets II and I2 may be left intact. The center support 38 when utilized may be disengaged from hook 3'I and the tilt rail may be readily removed from the brackets II and I2. In removing the tilt rail the slats 22, tapes 2|, and the cores 24 and 25 are removed With the tilt rail as a complete unit. When the blind has been cleaned or the window cleaned the blind structure may be readily reapplied to the brackets II and I2. It will be noted that in the course of removal and reapplication that it is not necessary to disturb or unfasten the elevating cords 23 and 25. When the blind is installed in position as illustrated during the tilting the semi-circular support 36 merely slides on the hook 37.

The brackets II and I2 are preferably provided with apertures 38, slots 33 and keyhole slots 40 at the backs of the brackets which may optionally receive fastening devices to fasten these brackets against vertical surfaces rather than against the underside of the header as illustrated. If the keyhole slots 40 are employed these brackets may be readily removed from their supporting surfaces by merely sliding the brackets upwardly until the heads of the fastening devices may be passed through the large ends of the keyhole slots.

In order to reverse the position the blind so that the cords 23 and 25 may be positioned at the left-hand end of the blind rather than at the right-hand end, as shown, it is merely necessary to slip the caps I3 and Il off of the ends of the tilt rail I3 and reverse their positions. A cap Il may be readily slipped 01T by tilting the cord stop 2S .to a position wherein its trunnion 30 may be slipped through slot 33. Cap I6 is equipped with a corresponding slot il to receive the trunnion when reversal of the caps is accomplished. Of course, it is desirable to have the cord stop disposed forwardly of the axis of rotation of the tilt rail and in reversing the blind the cord stop is shifted from the front to the back of the slots 32 and 33 so that when the tilt rail is in reversed position the cord stop will still be forwardly of its axis of rotation. The brackets H and I2 can, of course, be caused to assume reversed positions from that shown so as to have the tilt rail cords Ma located at the right-hand side of the blind instead of at the left-hand side as shown. In this way, with a given blind construction four position arrangements of the cords are permissible. Thus the tilt rail cords and the elevating cords may both be on the left-hand side of the blind or they may be both on the right-hand side. The tilt rail cords may be on the lefthand side as shown, and the elevating cords on the right-hand side as shown. If desired, the tilt rail cords I la may be positioned on the righthand side and the elevating cords may be positioned on the left-hand side. The same construction can, therefore, be installed to meet various conditions and is quite versatile in the manner in which it may be installed.

in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, a modined form of construction is disclosed wherein the header is indicated at l2 having brackets e3 and de secured thereto. The tilt rail is indicated at 45 having a, trunnion lit at one end receivable in a crotch in the bottom of bracket 43. A keeper 4'! is pivoted to the bracket and swings by gravity over the crotch to maintain the trunnion on the bracket. However, this keeper maybe swung laterally indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 10, to permit removal of the trunnion from its bracket. The other end of the tilt rail has a connection 48 with a worm wheel segment 49 that is operated by a worm 5i] on the spindle 5I that can be rotated by the tilting cord 52. This connection is such that it may be readily disengaged when trunnion 46 has been removed from bracket 43. The tilt rail has suspending tapes 53 which suspend the slats 54. The elevating cords 55 extend upwardly through the cord stop 56, then lengthwise of the tilt rail over transverse bars 5l' and down through the slats 54 between the tapes. In this form of construction it is likewise possible to readilydisengage and remove the tilt rail from the brackets 43 and 44 and inasmuch as the elevating cords 55 do not extend up into the header 42 but are associated entirely with the tilt rail and its associated structure, on removal of the tilt rail the elevating cords, slats, and tapes are removed With it.

From the above-described constructions it Will be appreciated that the improved Venetian blind is so constructed that it may be readily taken down and reinstalled, and during such operations connection and disconnection of the elevating cords is not required.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened by the appended claims. f

I claim:

1. In a Venetian blind including a header, a tilt rail removably mounted thereon, means on the header for tilting the tilt rail, tapes and slats suspended from the tilt rail, pulleys mounted on the underside of the tilt rail, cords for raising and lowering the tapes and slats trained over said pulleys, a cord stop adapted to grip the cords, and means for optionally pivotally mounting the cord stop upon either side of the axis of rotation of the tilt rail.

2. A Venetian blind having a header, a tilt rail, means on the header adjacent one end of the tilt rail for tiltably supporting the tilt rail, means on the header adjacent the other end of the tilt rail for tilting the tilt rail, the tilt rail having detachable caps on its ends engageable with said means, said caps being interchangeable.

3. A Venetian blind having a header, a tilt rail, means on the header adjacent one end of the tilt rail for tiltably supporting the tilt rail, means on the header adjacent the other end of the tilt rail for tilting the tilt rail, the tilt rail having detachable caps on its ends engageable with said means, said caps being interchangeable, and a cord stop mounted on the tilt rail and on one of said caps.

4. A Venetian blind having a header, a tilt rail, means on the header adjacent one end of the tilt rail for tiltably supporting the tilt rail, means on the header adjacent the other end of the tilt rail for tilting the tilt rail, the tilt rail having detachable caps on its ends engageable with said means, said caps being interchangeable, and a cord stop mounted on the tilt rail and on one of said caps, there being provision made for optionally positioning the cord stop on either side of the axis of tilting of the tilt rail.

5. In a Venetian blind, a pair of brackets attachable to a header, a tilt rail therebetween, end caps telescopically mounted on the ends of the tilt rail, trunnions on the end caps, tilting means on one of the brackets for tilting the tilt rail, the trunnion on one end cap having a connection with the tilting means, the trunnion on the other end Cap being laterally receivable in the other bracket and being tiltably supported thereby, and keeper means on said other bracket for releasably re' taining the last-mentioned trunnion thereon, said end caps being interchangeable, a cord stop, and means for optionally pivotally mounting the cord stop on one of the end caps for swinging movement about an axis longitudinally of the tilt rail on either side of the axis of rotation of the tilt rail.

6. In a Venetian blind, a header, a tilt rail, and brackets secured to the header and tiltably supporting the tilt rail, said brackets providing upright apertured portions by which they may be mounted on an upright supporting surface to support both the header and tilt rail thereon, at least one of the brackets having on open slot providing a crotch so that the tilt rail is removably mounted on the brackets, and one of the brackets having tilting means for tilting the tilt rail there- WILLIAM A. MORSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 369,254 Louderback Aug. 30, 1887 390,392 Niss Oct. 2, 1888 455,912 Simmons July 14, 1891 1,865,935 Marshall July 5, 1932 1,941,830 Dunn Jan. 2, 1934 2,103,395 Wade et al Dec. 28, 1937 2,190,884 Rosenstein Feb. 20, 1940 2,297,627 Loehr Sept. 29, 1942 

